STR4TA’s “Vision 9” is an uptempo groove with vintage vibes

Gilles Peterson has linked up with a longtime friend and colleague Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick, of the band Incognito, to revisit a previous era of UK music. Relying on nimble musicianship and a plucky DIY rascal nature, that musical moment proved influential to Tyler The Creator early on. That revelation made him shout out the influence of “British funk from the ’80s” at the 2020 Brit Awards.

STR4TA, their collaboration that delves into the early-’80s Brit-funk scene, highlights this
formidable section of Black British musical history, one that both artists first connected on.
Aspects, a freewheeling album full of that improvisational spirit, reconnects with those fresh
ideas about the sound first developed by groups like Atmosfear, Hi-Tension, Light of the World, and Freeez. Culminating into the post-punk, proto-house, no-wave amalgam, you’ve been kinda real tight waiting for.

On “Vision 9”, the most recent release before the album drop on March 26th, they nod to Luiz Eça and sneak in a bit of fusion between a plucky chest out bassline, and partial highlife uptempo groove. With vocal enhancements gently accelerating the ever-green rolling groove, that festival invitation, seriously wafting in the air, becomes quite pronounced by the song’s end.

Watch the new video for “Vision 9” below.